Created in Belfast

Mmhm, it's been quite a while since I last typed a few words and uploaded a few photos on Life NI Style. But I'm not going to bore you with excuses and ramblings. Here's to a brand new month! I don't know about you but June was a pretty big yawn-fest for myself. Apart from my brother moving to America for a year to work at Disneyland, (thanks for the many Snapchats Conor, making me extremely jealous) the month of June was a bit of a drag. 

But! 

As always, the beginning of June brought the Belfast school of art degree show and I was raring to have a wee nosy at the exhibition! I have to say the show did not disappoint and it was great to see all the wonderful work from a range of disciplines. Animation, applied arts, fine art, graphic design and illustration, interaction design, photography and finally the most important one of all (just kidding), textile art, design and fashion. No wonder it took almost three hours to view everyone's work! Stepping back inside the building and the heart of creativity in Belfast brought back so many memories of my time studying at this university. It's been just over two years now since I graduated from the art college and it just feels like yesterday that I was hunched over a knitting machine, a sewing machine or computer. Looking back my final year consisted of many a late night, many crying sessions, many meal deals or McDonalds, many hours spent deciding on the right shade of cream (yes, there are so many), many 5 minute breaks and deep conversations on the right size and type of font and so much money spent on print-outs (while also cursing that damn feckin' printer when it didn't print out those 50 pages you needed). So yeah, despite all of this, seeing the end result and all that work you put in was all worth it. And I have to admit that I do miss it.

My absolute favourite part was viewing the textiles and fashion section of the exhibition. So much hard work and dedication by the students had been put into their projects over the past three or four years and finally they were able to have a platform to showcase their beautiful collections or final pieces. Below I have included the cream of the crop in regards to the work which stood out to me and which I admired the most. Also, just a small mention on the textile designer, Terri McStraw. Her woven fabric collection titled 'The Fíor Collection' was just utterly beautiful. The fabrics she created were so luxurious and cosy and woven to perfection. I think this lady will be one to watch out for in the future! 

Terri McStraw designs - www.strawni.com 

Natalia Lees - natalialees.com

Adele Brown

Rachel Gallagher 

Alice Blackstock

Finally, just a little quote I came across and I thought it would end this blog post quite nicely!

My Beauty Favourites

This week I've been obsessing over all things beauty related! 
Thanks to YouTubers Jaclyn Hill, Melanie Murphy and Tanya Burr I have a list the length of my arm of all their beauty recommendations. I love watching their videos and discovering new products and in turn testing them out myself. Not all of the them though, unfortunately I don't own a money tree. I would definitely recommend watching any of these lovely ladies Youtube channels if you are an avid beauty devotee. I would especially urge you to check out Melanie Murphy's channel if you suffer from the burden that is acne. She has some great tips and solutions to help you combat those pesky spots.  

For today's blog post I thought I would write a quick summary of my current beauty favourites!

1. Sleek MakeUP Highlighter Palette Precious Metals
2. Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Diamond Top Coat
3. Illamasqua Glamore Lipstick (Minx)
4. LUSH Bubblegum Lip Scrub
5. Crabtree & Evelyn Ultra-moisturising Hand Therapy (Summer Hill) 
6. The Body Shop Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream 

The Sleek highlighter palette has been on the market for a while now and after reading numerous glowing (ahem) reviews I decided to give it a go myself. This palette is great if you're on a budget and and want to highlight the flip out of those cheek bones but I would definitely throw away that small useless brush that comes along with this product. 

As I mentioned in a previous post the Revlon colorstay diamond top coat is perfect if you don't want your nail varnish to chip after half an hour (we all want that, right?) I usually slick it on over any nail brand and your nail varnish will stay put for 3-4 days.

I received this Illamasqua lipstick in a beauty box I purchased from the Latest in Beauty website at the beginning of this year. I always have this lipstick in my handbag. It's a really easy colour to wear and very long-lasting. 

The Lush lip scrub is great if you have really dry lips like myself. I'm always wearing quite dark lip colours, which tend to dry out my lips so this product is a pretty great lip rescue. I usually use this product before I go to bed and follow it up with a really moisturising lip butter.

I had never tried any products from Crabtree & Evelyn until a few weeks ago when I decided to take advantage of an offer that was in store at the time. I purchased 2 hand lotions (Summer Hill and Somerset Meadow) for £6 (they are originally £9 each) so I was pretty happy with the deal. I absolutely love the smell of Summer Hill, it's quite a subtle scent and really rich and moisturising. Also, while in store I was recommended the 'Gardeners' hand scrub and lotion for those who suffer from painfully dry hands. 

Finally, The Body Shop's vitamin E night cream is a Godsend if you have problem skin. To be honest it did take a few weeks for my skin to adjust to this moisturiser and I did break out in spots but the results are great. I have been using the body shop's vitamin E range for a few years now after being recommended it when I was undergoing treatment for acne, which severely dried out my skin. It's also great for acne scarring! This night cream is my all-time favourite from everything I have mentioned in this post so I suggest you try it out now!


Have a great weekend everyone! And if you are stuck for anything to do this weekend I would suggest you take a wee dander around the Belfast School of Art end of year show. The exhibition runs from the 6th- 13th June and you are guaranteed an array of wonderful work from a diverse range of disciplines! Enjoy! 

Not Another LUSH Haul?!

Hello everyone!

Since my last blog post I decided to take a week's break from blogging, which turned into well over two flipping weeks! Working my job, trying to have a social life and general laziness were all contributing culprits to this bout of blogging inactivity. But I am back and ready to get stuck back into trying to entertain you lovely lot. 

Okay, so who likes a good hot bubbly bath? I for one am an avid believer of a good sweet-smelling bath. If you are not a bath believer then the products at Lush might just change your mind. And if Chandler from Friends can be a bath convert then so can you!

Now, if any of you are familiar with the blogging or vlogging world then you will know how popular a Lush haul can be. By this stage you may well be sick to death of them. I know in my experience of following bloggers a Lush haul is something that has to be acknowledged. It is almost like a cardinal rule in the blogging world. And the reason for this Lush madness? Just look at how cute they look, with the added bonus of making your bath look and smell amazing!

So here I am, about to join the many bloggers out there and share my views on the Lush brand. Since the word 'blog' came to light the Lush establishment has become something of a bloggers hub. Any Saturday that I venture into the Lush store in Belfast I am greeted with hoards of young and old smelling and testing those bath bombs and bars. I am pretty happy to join them and pick out a few new bath bombs to take home with me to add to my Lush collection!

Below are a variety of my favourite bath bombs and bubble bars. Most of these are still available to buy with a few exceptions. I will leave links under each photo too!

Appropriately named unicorn horn, this bubble bar is definitely the most magical of all the bars made by Lush. The bar smells of soothing lavender as well as many other gorgeous aromas combined. I bought this product a few weeks ago online and still can't bring myself to use it yet. It's too pretty to ruin! Unfortunately the unicorn horn is not available to buy any more but keep your eyes peeled for more quirky bubble bars to grace the shelves of Lush.

I literally just used this bubbleroon (yes bubbleroon) a few days ago. I love any fragrance containing rose and this doesn't disappoint. Lemon, rose and geranium oil, as well as coconut oil and shea butter are packed into this rosy bubbleroon. It left my skin feeling so soft too! Simply crumble under running warm water to create mounds of lovely bubbles! 
https://www.lush.co.uk/products/rose-jam

I have bought this bath bomb about three times now and I absolutely love it! Named 'Space Girl' this UFO-shaped product smells uh-mazing! The scent reminds me of the old-school sweet, Parma Violets. Once dropped into the water this bath bomb fizzes around turning your bath a lovely shade of purple! I would definitely recommend this one!
https://www.lush.co.uk/products/space-girl

Sex bomb, sex bomb, you're my sex bomb! Yep, you guessed it. This one is called Sex Bomb. Packed with lots of floral scents including jasmine, ylang ylang and sage this bath bomb looks so pretty and turns your bath into a gorgeous shade of pink. I first used this bath bomb a few years ago and decided to pick it up again, mainly because of its lovely fragrance!
https://www.lush.co.uk/products/sex-bomb

Throughout the year Lush come up with new collections to celebrate holidays such as Christmas, Easter and Valentines Day. Fluffy Egg is part of their Easter collection and it smells absolutely gorgeous! If you are a fan of Snow Fairy then you will love this! 
https://www.lush.co.uk/products/bath-bombs/fluffy-egg

Called 'The Comforter' this product does exactly that! This is the second time I have bought this bubble bar and smells so sweet and fruity. The bar itself doesn't look all that appealing but the scent will have you feeling relaxed and refreshed in no time. This product is so big that you will be able to get multiple uses out of it, so definitely value for money!

https://www.lush.co.uk/products/comforter

Honey Bee is without a doubt my favourite scented bath bomb. This bath bomb doesn't really change the colour of your bath water but the ingredients of honey, aloe vera and clay made my skin feel so soft and smooth. A big thumbs up from me!
https://www.lush.co.uk/products/honey-bee

And finally we have Heart Throb. Part of the Valentines collection I purchased this one online along with unicorn horn. This bubble bar is so sweet! Again, you get two bubble bars for the price of one and it turns your bath water a lovely shade of red! Perfect for Valentines! Unfortunately again this product is no longer available to buy. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and are in the process of filling up that bath of yours! All you need is a sweet scented Lush lovely! 

Enjoy!

If any of you want me to blog about anything in particular or have any suggestions, please let me know! You can contact me via my Twitter and Instagram pages!

 Have a great weekend everyone!

Freckle.

So Spring has sprung! 

Okay, so maybe it hasn't just yet, thanks to the snow rearing its ugly head a few days ago. Ironically though, little snowdrops are slowly making an appearance in my garden! Here's hoping those darling buds of spring start popping up and the sun decides to peep through those grey clouds very soon! 

So this week I have decided to write a little feature about a new independent magazine I came across, named Freckle. I first became aware of this magazine a few weeks ago via social media, and ever since my acknowledgement I have been itching to get hold of this inspiring booklet. "Freckle is an independently published magazine celebrating the people and landscapes of Northern Ireland and beyond."

On Saturday myself and my other half ventured into Belfast and made a pit-stop at Established Coffee. Knowing that this coffee shop stocked Freckle I was optimistic I would be able to buy a copy, but unfortunately they had sold out, (an indication of how popular this magazine really is). Of course we couldn't leave without having a delicious cup of coffee from this establishment, which in my opinion, provides the best coffee in Belfast, and quite possibly in Northern Ireland. Their chocolate brownies are also the yummiest I have ever tasted! So what I'm trying to say is that you should definitely visit Established Coffee at some point, which can be found on Hill Street, Belfast.

Thankfully I was able to purchase a copy of Freckle at The Black Box! 

This refreshing magazine was just what I needed to escape the humdrum of life this week. I think what attracted me to Freckle is the fact that normal people with interesting lives are featured. The stories which are told come from the need to just get up and do something with your life.  And it's also great these tales are all based in Northern Ireland! 

I also admired that this magazine practices 'slow journalism'. Too often magazines are spun out too quickly without real thought while systematically going through the same motions every week or month. 

Freckle is certainly a magazine where real thought and skill has been expressed. The book is beautifully made (printed onto recycled paper) along with stunning photography. The issue delves into the themes of ocean, soil, belonging, expressing and exploring. My favourite story would be that told by Jim Allen. His story titled 'Love of This Salted Fringe' is a poetic account of his life living by the coast. It is such a beautiful tale told by Jim and after reading his story you will be yearning to take a trip up to the North Coast this weekend. His poem at the end of the article is simply wonderful and one I will definitely be recounting to others.   

If you want to open your mind and discover the hidden gems of Northern Ireland, then you need this magazine in your life. This wee country isn't all that bad. We just need to become more tuned into the fantastic talent we are producing and the beautiful landscapes at our doorsteps.  

If you are interested in buying Freckle, a list of vendors can be found on their website. There aren't many copies left so pick one up today! Or if you already have a copy pass it onto a friend or relative to enjoy!

 >> http://www.frecklenorthernireland.org/magazine/ <<